...Atheism is the belief in the absence of God or a higher power of some sort. It is a controversial topic on whether it is considered a religion or not. Although atheism is the idea of there being no God that does not mean that it cannot be considered a religion, although in some “sub-ideas” of this belief, it is thought to be the religion of no religion, which obviously contradicts itself. But, this thought is not as ridiculous as it sounds. Atheism is a belief that there is no god at all so this could not possibly be a religion, right? World renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking is a confirmed atheist who is not afraid to state his beliefs. Some say he almost oppresses people with his slightly radical beliefs. He was recently on a...
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...Is the existence of God logically consistent with the existence of evil? The existence of evil is a seemingly irrefutable fact of life, one which Davies considers to be “the most discussed topic in the philosophy of religion.”1 This presents the theist with a dilemma, forcing them to make attempts at reconciling the existence of an omniscient, omnipotent and wholly good God with that of evil. Kreefy stresses the extent that this ‘problem of evil’ challenges theism, going so far as to claim that “more people have abandoned their faith because of this problem than for any other reason.”2 In the course of this essay, I intend to show that the existence of evil gives one sufficient cause to doubt traditional theism; and that one is rationally justified in doing so. In order to achieve this end, I shall identify the problem of evil, evaluating some of the major defences and theodicies proposed by theists and ultimately demonstrating that such attempts at accounting for the existence of evil are neither adequate nor convincing. The problem of evil is presented in two distinct modes; these being the logical argument from evil and its evidential counterpart. The logical problem of evil stems from the “contradiction involved in the fact of evil, on the one hand, and the belief in the omnipotence and perfection of God on the other.”3 At first glance, this contradiction is merely implicit, being made explicit through the presupposition that if God were a wholly good being, then He would...
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...Dawkins is widely known for his beliefs that religion is a dangerous virus of the mind. Readers, who are unfamiliar with the essay „Virus of the Mind‟, like myself, feel that the notion being put forward appears sarcastic and somewhat harsh. Initially when I read the essay I had already decided in my mind that I would not agree to Dawkins‟ beliefs as the idea that religion is a virus sounds bizarre. People have the tendency to think negatively when the word virus is brought up. Whilst I agree with Dawkins‟ statement that religion is a „Virus of the Mind‟ and it spreads the same way that viruses do, I believe he is also trying to spread atheism in the same way. Thus, Dawkins is being a hypocrite to his cause. Richard Dawkins starts of with the idea that „a human child is shaped by evolution to soak up the culture of her people‟ (Warburton, 2010, pp. 92). According to Dawkins, young children are highly gullible and will believe almost everything that is being told to them. He gives examples of how children worldwide are taught to believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, which are non-existent. As and when the child grows up they realise these characters are actually not true. Children are more likely to survive if they learn and believe what is taught to them by their parents, but a potential problem that arises is that children are very willing to believe something that is not true. Therefore, just as a patient is susceptible to a virus infection, a child can ...
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...The ontological and cosmological arguments The ontological and cosmological arguments Does God exists? Has been asking this question over and over, but there may not be an exact answer to this question. Over the time this topic has been disputing among the philosophers and the people who tried to answer it. . There are many questions and issues that are related to this question. Depending on the people if they are believers or not? Or what are the essences of a person religion? There is no specific answer to any of these questions and therefore one would ask. When people are asked about God existence, from their answers we can classify them in to two groups, the first group would be the believers whom answers will be yes based on the person’s believes. The second group would be the atheist who does not agree on God existence. However, whether a person is a believer or an atheist, there cannot be a significant prove that God exist or not. There two argument to the question of whether God exist or not. The Ontological Argument and the Cosmological Argument. The ontological argument is presented by St Anselm and the Cosmological Argument is presented by Saint Thomas Aquinas. In this essay I am going to explore both argument. The Ontological Argument The first argument I am going to explore is The Ontological Argument explained by St Anselm. In exploring St Anselm argument we can summarize it in the following characteristics. The first characteristic of Anselm ontological argument...
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...Huckleberry Finn is a novel that has immense value and meaning; however, it is also one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted stories of all time. Twain’s classic is continuously accused of supporting the prejudiced attitudes it is actually criticizing. This is especially apparent when these confusing passages are not properly explained and put in context by an inspirational teacher. Huck Finn has the ability to become detrimental when it is put in the hands of students who lack enough academic experience to understand the book’s purpose on their own and/or lack a teacher who can properly explain it to them. Educators need to be able to illustrate to students that through satire, Twain shares his beliefs about racism, religion, and other topics that plagued America at the time – all important subjects commonly misinterpreted if not setup and explained correctly. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an excellent novel that teaches everlasting themes and moral lessons; however, it should not be a required reading in high schools because it needs to be taught by passionate teachers who genuinely want to explain the novel, opposed to being forced to by the curriculum....
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...wonder. c. rules governing meditation. d. the use of permanent places of worship 3. The early anthropologist who saw religion as rooted in a belief in spirits and the worship of them was a. E. B. Tylor. b. James Frazer. c. Sigmund Freud. d. Carl Jung. 4. Sigmund Freud, when analyzing the origin of religion, emphasized a. the human need for psychological security. b. the certainty of an afterlife. c. his belief that religions were essential to psychological health. d. the valuable role that religions play in helping people find meaning in their lives. 5. Belief in many gods is called a. polytheism. b. monotheism. c. agnosticism. d. atheism. 6. Belief in one God is called a. monotheism. b. polytheism. c. atheism. d. agnosticism. 7. A universal religious symbol that is circular, or that blends a circle and a square, is called a a. mandala. b. mudra. c. mantra. d. megalith 8. Pantheism is the belief a. that all reality is divine. b. in the ancient Greek religion that believed the god Pan was the source of cosmic order. c. in endless reincarnation. d. in a timeless realm of happiness at the top of the universe 9. In religious studies, the word myth means a. a story that is historically true. b. a story that is historically untrue. c. a story that is psychologically meaningful and may be either historically true or not. d. a story that is found...
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...The death of Socrates has been a controversial topic throughout the centuries. Socrates, one of the most influential philosophers in history, shared and taught his political and philosophical beliefs on the street among young Athenians in a language that captivated them. Socrates was an old man who strongly disagreed with the ideas of democracy held by the Athenian government at the time; therefore he was accused and trial of corrupting the youth and not respecting the gods of Athens. Socrates’ thoughts about the flaws of democracy influenced many of his students. His trial took place in 399BC when Socrates was 70 years old and the final verdict was to execute him. He took his own life by drinking Hemlock, a beverage that paralyzed his body...
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...Benchmark – Gospel Essentials Details: In this assignment you will summarize and analyze the essential elements of the Christian worldview and reflect on implications for your own worldview. Write a 1,250-1,500-word essay using at least two course resources (textbook, lectures, the Bible) and at least two other sources from the GCU Library to support your points. Remember, the Bible counts as one reference regardless of how many times you use it or how many verses you cite. Begin your paper with an appropriate introduction, including a thesis statement to introduce the purpose of the paper. Organize your paper with the following sections using the seven underlined titles for subheadings. The Christian Worldview: Describe the beliefs of the Christian worldview with regard to the following components corresponding to Topics 2-5. Write at least one paragraph for each component using the underlined title for a subheading. God: What is God like? What are God's characteristics? What is his creation? To explain god and what his characteristics mean to a Christian would be to explain what it means to Christian. God is good, an entity that does not present with evil. God is loving, does not represent hate. God is just, has understanding with reason. These are also three of the attributes that humans should have and possess. This make the Christian god relatable and with achievable expectation. The attributes of god allows for a base of morality for people. With this...
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...Republic of the Philippines BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Gov. Pablo Borbon Main Campus I Batangas City COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE AND FINE ARTS GENERAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT Second Semester, AY 2015-2016 COURSE SYLLABUS HUM 102 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY 3 Units Prerequisite: None UNIVERSITY VISION A University which shapes a global Filipino imbued with moral courage nurtured through values and excellent education. UNIVERSITY MISSION Batangas State University commits to develop productive citizens by providing the highest standard of instruction, research, extension service and production through value-laden learning experiences, community partnership and internationalization initiatives. Course Title: Introduction to Philosophy | Course Code: HUM 102 | Pre-co-req.: None | Credit Units: 3 | Instructor: Maria Melinda O. Gainza | Year Level: 1st Year | Email: ordonez_ortega@yahoo.com | Semester: 2nd Sem 2015-2016 | Mobile No.: 0918-617-7777 | Schedule: | Room: | | 1.0 PHILOSOPHY This course introduces the students to the field of philosophy which is said to be the queen of all sciences. It is about how a person understands his nature as well as the world, how he makes decisions in life. What actions he chooses are influenced by the philosophy he develops and adopts. He then begins to have a better understanding of himself, his fellow human beings, the real world and the meaning of life. With philosophical foundation, he will be able to meet the demands...
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...Biasness in Scientific Knowledge | Social Sciences | Jalil Ahmed Siddiqui | Table of Contents Introduction: 3 Some Major Terms: 3 Methodology: 3 Why am I doing this? 4 What is Biasness? 4 Types of Biasness: 5 Why is there Biasness? 6 Am I Biased? and My Justification 7 Why is Scientific Research Done? 7 Effects of Science on Our Society 8 Can Science be Biased? 8 How can Science Effect Us by being biased? 9 Biasness In Scientific Knowledge-Due to Religion 9 1 : Islam and Science Religious orthodoxy battle rationality By Pervaiz Hoodbhoy 10 Conclusion 13 References 14 Biasness In Scientific Knowledge Introduction: Biasness in scientific knowledge is the topic of hot discussion. if we can find out the extent up to which scientific knowledge is biased then we can find out the reliability of scientific knowledge. The biasness in it tells us the authenticity of scientific knowledge and clears out the fact that whether a scientific theory or law or any other scientific paper is actually the facts which science claims itself to consist of or they are just some scientists opinion aimed , not to clear and find out facts, but to publish and transfer his own thoughts in to the society. Some Major Terms: 1-What is Science - * Origin from Old French, from Latin scientia, from scire 'know'. [1] * According to Oxford Dictionary word science means "The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure...
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...The Masters of Fantasy Fiction Long ago, in a little house on Northmoor Road, there lived a jolly Englishman. With a pipe in his mouth and ungraded papers at his desk, he nonchalantly scribed the sentence "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit" (Collins 76). A little longer after that during a time tensioned by the exposition of World War II there lived another Englishman. Housing a family of young refugees during the blitz, he crafted a story about four young children and a magic wardrobe (Tolson 4). Though only rudimentary concepts at their formation, the ideas that these two men had at the time would eventually morph into some of the most popular stories of our age and shape the way people think about life. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, two of the most brilliant authors to ever impact the world of fantasy literature, share several defining qualities in their early lives, careers, ideas, and lasting impacts. J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis lived fairly similar yet individual childhoods. The two young authors started out in comparatively alike situations. On January 3rd, 1892, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa (Collins 10), and six years later on November 29th Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland (Davenport 21). Both boys’ families included British parents and brothers; John's brother Arthur was two years younger (Collins 12) while Clive's brother Warren was three years older (Davenport 21). However, Tolkien seemed...
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...Capital Punishment What is Capital Punishment? Capital Punishment which is also known as the Death Penalty. Death Penalty is the infliction of the death penalty as punishment for certain crimes according toDictionary.com. In the following essay will show why Capital Punishment is implemented to our society. Capital Punishment in any form is acceptable according to the following to the following articles will help justify this concept. To some people Capital Punishment would be considered an act of cruel and unusual punishment; while for others it is a system that should be considered needed in all the States in order to keep the country more safe for the people. Many states within the U.S. have performed executions of convicts since the early 1600’s. Views on capital Punishment vary with people in different ways; there are various organizations within the country that have different opinions on the subject, and organizations such as Religions, Political, or Humanitarian have diverse perspectives on the Death Penalty. “The death penalty is also most commonly argued to be a violation of the right to life or of the "sanctity of life." Many national constitutions and international treaties guarantee the right to life. the right to life demands that a life only be taken in exceptional circumstances, such as in self-defense or as an act of war, and therefore that it violates the right to life of a criminal if she or he is executed, since this is purely murder by the State” according...
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...Exam #2 1. Bettina von Arnim was a prominent female figure in Germany during the Romanticism Era. Von Arnim was best known for her writings that had a connection to social issues in society, involving women and oppression. Von Arnim was friends with Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe for a period of time. Von Arnim, who was known for many novels and essays, wrote on topics involving social and political reform, which appealed to many groups of oppressed people, such as women and Jews. Although she had a husband and seven children, Bettina von Arnim was vocal in rejecting the exclusivity of traditional gender roles in 19th century Germany, through her literary works. Von Arnim’s most famous work is called Goethe’s Correspondence with a Child, a fiction based on her relationship with Goethe. The story depicts her as a child, who sits on Goethe’s character’s lap, and how her gender affects the relationship they had. One of her other works, Gritta, was an alternative view of the typical “male saves female archetype”. In the novel, the female plays the role of the hero. In her later life, after her husband died, she began to publish more and more works, including some by her husband. Her husband’s death was a significant event in von Arnim’s life. When von Arnim became a widow, she published a large amount of works such as autobiographies and fiction based on social equality and gender equality. Von Arnim was a benefactor of the ideas of...
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...and critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest playwrights of the Victorian Era. In his lifetime he wrote nine plays, one novel, and numerous poems, short stories, and essays. Wilde was a proponent of the Aesthetic movement, which emphasized aesthetic values more than moral or social themes. This doctrine is most clearly summarized in the phrase 'art for art's sake'. Besides literary accomplishments, he is also famous, or perhaps infamous, for his wit, flamboyance, and affairs with men. He was tried and imprisoned for his homosexual relationship (then considered a crime) with the son of an aristocrat. Many of his plays such as The Importance of Being Earnest and Salome are translated in to foreign languages and are adopted into films and poems written by him made their presence in the list of bestsellers of his time and still continue to be read worldwide. The most celebrated novelist and author of his time, Oscar Wilde was appreciated by and acquainted with many influential artists of the day including English author John Ruskin, American poet Walt Whitman and George Bernard Shaw. Wilde witnessed an ill-fated downfall in 1885, when the author was arrested and imprisoned on account of his iniquitous homosexuality that made him leave his country forever. He was also harshly criticized for his outspoken atheism and active role in atheistic movements in the country which eventually led to his death in 1900. Wilde has many accomplishments, but we tend to look past the trials and...
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...When I received a copy of James S. Valliant’s book, The Passion of Ayn Rand’s Critics: The Case Against the Brandens, I was a little apprehensive about reviewing it. It seems that every time a discussion commences about the “juicy” bits of Ayn Rand’s sexual and romantic entanglements, it takes on a life of its own, and the discussion never seems to end. Cyber-forums can’t even mention this book without provoking hundreds of rancorous posts among people who are still personally involved in the developments surrounding the break between Ayn Rand and Nathaniel Branden and Barbara Branden. It’s as if the War of ‘68 is still raging. I was fortunate when I came to the study of Ayn Rand. I was eight years old when Rand and the Brandens went their separate ways. I knew none of the principals involved, and didn’t actually discover Rand’s work until nearly ten years later—when I was a senior in high school in 1977. And even after I’d discovered her work, I'd read everything she wrote without the assistance of going to live lectures or attending group meetings of people sitting around a vinyl turntable or an audio-tape player, listening to recordings of said lectures. I eventually listened to the vast bulk of those lectures as background for the preparation of my book, Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical, but even that research was pursued independently. My work was not the product of any assistance from any Objectivist institute or organization. Around 1992, however, as I was researching my...
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